Brightwind (Earth-616)
| Relatives = | Universe = Earth-616 | BaseOfOperations = | Gender = Male | Height = 5'4" | Height2 = (at withers) | Weight = 1300 lbs | Eyes = Red | Hair = White | Hair2 = Red (transformed by Hela); Black (as Darkwind) | UnusualFeatures = | Citizenship = | MaritalStatus = | Occupation = Steed of the Valkyries | Education = | Origin = | PlaceOfBirth = Asgard | Creators = | First = New Mutants Special Edition #1 | HistoryText = One of the sacred winged horses of the Asgardian Valkyrior, Brightwind was rescued from a group of hunters and named by the New Mutants' Mirage during a trip to Asgard. Quickly developing a bond with Danielle, Brightwind chose her as its rider, bestowing the Valkyrie honor and abilities upon her. After riding Brightwind into battle against Loki, the Valkyrior made Danielle one of their own and allowed her to bring Brightwind to Earth when she returned. Brightwind often carried Danielle into battle as well as coming to her aid on a few occasions, such as when he saved Danielle from a group of thugs by attacking them and led then-Xavier's School headmaster Magneto back to their location. The psychic bond shared by horse and rider made Danielle and Brightwind as close as family, with Moonstar often confiding her problems to Brightwind, whose mood and even appearance reflected Moonstar's own emotions. After Danielle received a brief power increase via the High Evolutionary's machines, Danielle took Brightwind into the air and tested her newfound power, creating a solid form of a female horse from Brightwind's mind, causing a distracted Brightwind to drop her. Brightwind returned soon after, however, once again aiding Moonstar by scaring off a police officer. Shortly thereafter, when the New Mutants merged their group with the X-Factor trainees known as the X-Terminators, Brightwind accompanied Mirage to X-Factor's sentient Ship. Both Brightwind and Mirage were soon attacked by the Asgardian death goddess Hela, who cast a spell that allowed a spirit to possess Dani's form, altering Brightwind as well du to their psychic bond. Hela then summoned them to Asgard as part of her attempt to take over the realm during the All-Father Odin's slumber, but Hela was defeated and both Brightwind and Mirage were returned to their previous states. While the other New Mutants returned to Earth, Mirage opted to stay with Brightwind in Asgard to make up for the damage she had unwillingly caused. Upon their return to Earth, Moonstar posed as a villain within Reignfire's Mutant Liberation Front, her sudden personality change physically transforming Brightwind. Moonstar renamed him Darkwind, and he accompanied her during her early missions with the MLF. Once Reignfire discovered that Moonstar was secretly working against the MLF, he attacked her and as she ran towards Darkwind, Reignfire incinerated the winged horse before Moonstar's horrified eyes. As Darkwind died, Moonstar ended her bond with the horse, allowing Brightwind's spirit to return home to Asgard. | Powers = Brightwind shared a mystical, empathic, and psychic bond with Danielle Moonstar, often sharing her emotional states and losing consciousness whenever she did. If her emotions changed dramatically enough, Brightwind's body would physically alter itself to reflect her emotions. For example, when Mirage was possessed, Brightwind transformed into a decaying, skeletal form surrounded by hellfire, which it could project during times of extreme anger. As Darkwind, he was dark-haired and had demonic, bat-like wings. | Abilities = Brightwind had feathered wings capable of flight. The maximum altitude that he could fly at was undertermined. Due to his Asgardian nature, Brightwind also possessed greater physical attributes than that of an ordinary Earth horse. His stamina and durability allowed him to fly for nearly 24 hours without rest, as well as withstand the extreme cold and pressure of flying at high altitudes. His strength was also higher than a typical Earth horse, allowing him to carry numerous passengers at once without tiring. | Strength = | Weaknesses = | Equipment = | Transportation = | Weapons = | Notes = | Trivia = | Marvel = | Wikipedia = | Links = }} Category:Animals Category:Horses